Belgian Dubbel Extract Kit w/ Specialty Grains

SKU# U1200

Trappist-style ale with a russet color, dense off-white head, and a host of flavors and aromas - spices, flowers, dried fruit, plums, raisins, rum, and toffee - arising from the interaction of grains, sugar, and yeast. A medium-full bodied, complex beer that pairs with everything from cheese to stew to dessert.

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Dating back to monastic breweries in the middle ages, Dubbels are still produced at abbeys and monasteries in Belgium. This kit yields an authentic Trappist-style ale with a russet color, dense off-white head, and a host of flavors and aromas - spices, flowers, dried fruit, plums, raisins, rum, and toffee - arising from the interaction of grains, sugar, and yeast. A medium-full bodied, complex beer that pairs with everything from cheese to stew to dessert.

This beer is a wonderful representation of a Belgian Trappist ale. I've brewed it several times, most recently for the Holiday 2012 season, only this time adding Mulling Spices with 15 minutes left in the boil. Wow! What unique combination of spices and Belgian Goodness!

This brew is easy to make and works well with a yeast starter. I normally get a crazy reaction from my yeast. With this batch, the yeast seemed to work slowly but continuously for over a week. I was worried, so I took a sample and tested the gravity. It was right on and smelled wonderful. I can't wait to try it!!

This is a truly excellent recipe. I brewed it in December of 07, put it away in the beer shed, and promptly forgot about it. Just came across it within the last week or two and decided to try it with the Fall weather. MAN OH MAN! This is an absolutely fantastic Belgian Dubbel, very similar to the Ommegang Dubbel, except possibly cleaner and less fruity (perhaps since it aged longer than usual). I don't really remember the OG and FG, but I calculated the ABV at 7.1%. This is probably at the low end of beers to cellar, but it seems to have worked well. This was good enough that I'll order it again so I'll have something to drink in 2011. If you like Belgians, then you should get this one. Cheers!

This is the first Trappist style beer that I have brewed. I am absolutely blown away. I'll be keeping this one all to myself. This will definately be a regular on the brew schedule. Can't wait to brew the All-grain version. Thanks NB!

I've done at least 12 NB kits over the years, and this one ranks as my favorite. I foolishly did not use a yeast starter, and I got worried when the Wyeast pack didn't swell up a lot. But the belgian yeast is a total beast and was bubbling along in under 12 hours. Next time, I will use a starter rather than take a chance, but I got lucky this time.The spicy/fruity/boozy aroma is perfect. A little malty sweetness that I love. Tastes good young, but ages amazingly well. I think this kit is better than any store bought belgian dubbel that I've tried. Like NB says, this beer pairs well with almost any food. Try it some night you're having a gourmet meal and you won't be disappointed.

I have recently been enjoying the many flavors that Belgian beers can offer. After brewing many types of beers, I decided to take the plunge and try a Belgian. To be honest I have loved every beer that I have made, but really didn't think I could pull this one off. I have been pleasantly surprised. This kit has more flavor than all of the commercial beers that I have been trying...which have been a few. I highly recommend this beer and for those who have had the pleasure of trying mine, they would agree.I do recommend giving the beer time to age. It ages very well.

I must admit this was my first try at home brewing, so even though this was not a novice level beer recipe, I jumped in with both feet on this beer, and hoped for the best. The kit was well laid out and the directions were very clear. Of course being a novice, I did not follow the directions perfectly. First, I added a half cup of pure cane sugar to the recipe, and another when it was time to prime. Second, I fermented at a higher than recommended temperature (80 degrees). Finally, I bottled a week early.Despite my obvious contempt for convention, this beer turned out fantastic. The Wyeast 1214 were very energetic. They burned threw most of the glucose in three days flat. I moved the beer to the secondary after only one week. After three weeks in , the gravity was stable, so I bottled. My OG was 1.072 and the FG 1.01. ABV 8.14%. After two weeks in the bottle, what poured into my goblet was nothing short of a miracle. This beer is rich, reddish, slightly cloudy, caramel colored with a highly carbonated beige head which lasted about 60 seconds. The flavors were wonderful. There was alcohol right up front, and the slightest hint of banana, biscuits (the home made kind), and spice. The most surprising aspect of this beer was how it evolved over time. After four weeks in the bottle, the beer developed a visual clarity I had not hoped for. The many flavors which were easily identified earlier were now much more balanced which masked more of the alcohol. Bottom line, I am a convert. This has been a great experience for me. I will make this beer and many others for years to come. Kind Regards The Novice

I used WLP500 Trappist Ale Yeast instead of the wyeast. This is one of the best dubbels I have had. Tons of dark fruit flavors that reveal something different with each sip and a very slight alcohol on the back end that mellows very nicely after a while. I highly recommend this kit. Make sure you get the carbonation right though it is a heavy beer.

I will echo most of the other reviews: easy to brew & tastes fantastic. This was in primary for 2 weeks, secondary for 4 weeks, and has been bottled for a little over 2 months. It improves with age and I will be entering it into a homebrew competition this fall. Definitely a worthwhile brew!

... and that's a good thing. Before there was Fat Tire, New Belgium Brewery was known for its Abbey Ale, a Trappist style beer. My Dubbel has been bottle conditioning for over three months now and if it were promoted as an Abbey Ale clone, most people would find it pretty dang close. A very nice example of a Belgian Trappist-style ale; being able to say I made it myself is just icing on the cake.

I am more of an IPA guy but decided that I should try brewing some different styles - this was my first ever try at a Belgian. I used the kit, made a nice 2 Liter starter with the liquid Wyeast Belgian Abbey, oxygenated prior to pitching with an O2 tank, and let it sit in secondary for a month. Yesterday when I bottled I snuck a sample and it was fantastic - even uncarbonated and un-aged! This beer seems ready to drink right now with a nice brown color and fruity, spicy character. I got no hop taste, just great fruit and spice. I may well open a bottle next week just for fun, then put the rest of the batch away for a few months. Highly recommended - a great beer! There is no way you can't like this beer!

This was my 3rd or 4th brew, brewed in March 2013. Did a starter, but it was slow to start (common with 1214). After bottling, it tasted ok, but not quite what I was expecting (in comparison to commercial dubbels). I'm going to chalk that up to my lack of experience more than the ingredients/instruction, because it turned out great, improving over time. I had my second to last bottle about a month ago (November). It was on par with commercial varieties. Had I known better, I would have left the whole batch alone for six months after bottling.

Quite possibly the best beer I have brewed (out of 30 batches). Tastes great early on (reminiscent of Chimay Blue) but definitely improves with age. Brought some to family over the holidays and it was quite a crowd pleaser! Sadly out of stock so I am brewing up another batch.

I was very excited to try this recipe and am happy to report that it lives up to the 5 star reviews. I thought it was pretty good after 2 weeks in the bottle, but it gets exponentially better after about 2 months. Most homebrew gets better with a little age, but this one went from good to unbelievable. I will be brewing this again and tucking the whole batch away for a 3+ months. It will be hard, but so worth it.

This is a great beer but you have to be very patient. It took about 4 months for mine to be awesome. If I had given it more time it would have been epic. My boss is a beer connoisseur and he gave it 2 thumbs up and to me that is a lot. Everyone who tasted it went nuts about it. Nice estery taste (not so much just perfect) normal to the style. Beautiful aroma and pretty complex taste. 2 weeks primary, 2 weeks secondary and coldcrashed @37deg for 2 weeks the bulk aged at 44deg (serving temp.)Just buy it.

I was reading the wrong brewing recipe for the first few steps, so I ended up steeping the grains AFTER I had already added the malt instead of before. Thanks be to the brew gods it mattered not - this beer was just outstanding. If you are a big fan of dubbels, or even Belgian brews in general, this is a must-brew. My friends and family, even those who are generally not beer drinkers, absolutely raved about it!One recommendation I would make is to bottle condition the full two weeks that's recommended and even beyond if you're incredibly patient. I noticed the banana-like flavors really more and more the longer I waited to crack into a bottle.

OK, here's the scoop......Brew date 5/8...Secondary 5/23.....Bottled 6/25. OG 1.066, FG 1.003 for a 8.27 ABV...Followed the directions except for the yeast. Because I live in Florida I didn't want to risk purchasing and shipping a liquid yeast, so I went with the Safbrew BE - 256, without a starter. I ended up with a beer with a great malty aroma with the flavors of raisins and figs, I also find the beer to be have a sweetness to it. It's been in the bottle now for about 6 weeks, though it is carbonated, I'm not getting as much carbonation as i would like. When poured into a glass I get maybe 3/8 of an inch head. Next time I will up the priming sugar to 3/4 cup to see if it helps. I also tried to cook with it, adding about a bottle to my chili recipe, it came out great, I may try it in a beef stew as well... In my opinion it,s a great beer that friends and family like it as well.. I will order this one again...

3 weeks in the primary followed by 2 weeks bottled. This beer is as good as any Dubbel or Trappist you can buy...and for a fraction of the price. This kit is everything everyone has described previously...

A wide variety of fruitiness, and aromas indeed. Each time you drink one is an opportunity to discover new subtleties within this deep and enticing brew. Well worth the 2 month wait. I would not, however, recommend this recipe as a first brew (as I did). Try an Inkeeper or another brew that you can enjoy sooner. The wait was almost more than I could stand, so I put my time to good use by emptying bottles of Sam Adams for future brews as I waited for the yeast to complete the creation I had begun. In the end, however, the wait is forgotten, and the only the silky texture of this sweet nectar remains.

This was one of the first kits that I purchased a little over a year ago. My son and I have brewed around 150 gallons of this and other beer since. I can honestly say that this is the best beer I have ever tasted and I've had plenty, both here in the U.S. and while visiting Belgium and other countries. I'm not the only one who has said this either. I highly recommend it.

Gorgeous color, full of that delicious banana/spice flavor, very smooth, a real pleasure to drink! Next time I brew this one, I'm adding about a pound of finely chopped pecans. I would highly recommend this kit to everyone.

I don't like sweet flavors in my beer. This one has intense flavor - not sweet - more subdued like figs, raisins. The flavors make it an awesome brew. This is my pick for a best of "holiday brew" category. I'll be brewing it again... even for summer months.

I bottled this in November and tried one after 3 weeks and found it to be syrupy and way too sweet. It's been two months now and I just opened another one- WOW! It's not only the best brew I've made, it's one of the best I've ever tasted! I highly recommend it.

I did not stray from the bought ingredients. Racked it over after a week and half and let it ferment for another 3 months. I bottled it using 3/4 cups of corn syrup (out of priming sugar). It is absolutely excellent. Love it and would totally recommend this one.

I had hopes for this beer, and those hopes were exceeded! The brew was one of three that I decided to make in a marathon brewing session. I also brewed the Inkeeper and the Wit. My first choice after the typical day at the office is the dubbel.The taste is complex, with a malty aftertaste and is so incredibly smooth. So incredibly smooth. The flavor is all over my tongue.I intend to make this a brew that goes into rotation in the kegerator on a regular basis.

I have been on many trips overseas and really enjoy the taste of this beer. Reminds me of the Belgian beers I had in Europe. It is not too strong but not a light taste either. Easy to make and a beer that I always keep on hand. Everyone that has tried this at my house have really liked it.

I have brewed this several times(5) and this one always stands out. It has a great aroma when drinking almost a plum raisin smell. Taste is very mellow and little to no hop after taste. WHat a nice ale should taste like. I have had friends over from Germany and they loved it. When I have other friends over everyone really likes this beer. THe long wait in secondary fermentation pays off. I will always have this on hand.

I have to say this is a first-rate recipe. I'm just about to order it for the third time and that certainly won't be the last. Ran out of priming tabs last time so went with some brown sugar instead, which added a subtle but tasty hint of molasses. Recently I've been on a Schneider & Sons Aventinus kick, and while this is different, if you like the one you're sure to enjoy the other (which makes the wife happy as one is $4 a pint, while the other is about $1).

I made this and now, my fiance just can't get enough of it. I had it in primary for 2 weeks, then secondary for another 2 weeks then kegged. I had some carmelization during the boil but it still turned out pretty tasty. Great fruity nose with a hint of vanilla. I will definitely brew this again with a couple of changes. Next time, I'll make a starter instead of just pitching since it's a high OG beer and maybe do a full boil.

IÕm writing this a bit prematurely as the bottles havenÕt even carbonated, but I have high expectations for this ale. I drank a half glass at bottling and even flat it was quite enjoyable. Full bodied and balanced, the beer is a beautiful russet color with hints of dried fruit and rum; a real Old World flavor. This is a very pleasing, hearty beer I canÕt wait to break out for friends.Followed the directions to the letter using the Wyeast 1214 Belgian Abbey provided. Cooled in an ice bath and then into the fermenter. Fermentation was rapid; 3 days of rapid bubbling and then nothing. Racked over to secondary for a month prior to bottling this past weekend. I bottled in the rather large 1 liter EZ Cap bottles É makes it look like a special occasion ale when you break one of those behemoth bottles out.I have many local homebrew stores available where I live, but nothing can compare with NBÕs feedback system. Where else can you get dozens of reviews to help with your purchasing decisions? This kit is a winner! IÕm considering making this same kit, but bumping the alcohol content a bit and barrel aging it as a Barley Wine. Of course, I could just buy the NB Barley Wine kit which also gets glowing reviews.

I'm really sorry, but I thought waiting five months to write my comment was long enough to let this one sit to get the best experience--I was (gladly) wrong. The flavor profile has changed to the point that my wife could not believe that this was the same beer that we tried a month and a half ago.It's still quite clean and crisp on the finish, but now their is a richer, slightly spicy, malty finish; hard for me to describe, but quite enjoyable. It seems quite complex, yet much lighter than the 7.6% that mine finished at.I went from thinking that I wouldn't do this one again to thinking it definitely is in the running for the fall.

My second brew ever. Followed the kit leaving it in the secondary for a month before bottling. Used 3/4 cup of corn sugar to bottle. This one's taking it's time carbonating and hasn't developed a strong head yet (bottled 6 weeks ago). The flavor is so good that I don't mind testing a half-flat bottle every week or so. I have even converted non-beer drinkers with this one.

The smack pack contains a nutrient packet that helps get the yeast in good health, so in that sense a starter is not required. However, the instructions recommend a starter for this particular recipe since the OG is a bit high, and you'd like to have a larger yeast population. So, I'd recommend a starter, in hopes of building up a larger population for the extra sugar. When it comes to starters, health is definitely always more important than numbers, but it can be good to get your numbers up too with higher OG beers.

The smack pack contains a nutrient packet that helps get the yeast in good health, so in that sense a starter is not required. However, the instructions recommend a starter for this particular recipe since the OG is a bit high, and you'd like to have a larger yeast population. So, I'd recommend a starter, in hopes of building up a larger population for the extra sugar. When it comes to starters, health is definitely always more important than numbers, but it can be good to get your numbers up too with higher OG beers.

Yes. That is misleading but with a high gravity beer like this I have always done a yeast starter and have had excellent beer. Now I have no experience going the other way and not doing a yeast starter. Being that the investment in both time and money to make yeast starters is so small I would definitely recommend you do a yeast starter. Cheers

I have my Abbey dubbel sitting in secondary for a month and about halfway through, I started noticing small white spots on the top of my beer. Is this yeast that was still active in secondary? Do I need to wait for it to fall? Or strain it before bottling?

BEST ANSWER:These are probably just yeast rafts and probably will not fall. The siphon should avoid and leave them behind so it should be fine as it ages and just keep an eye on them to see if they start to grow. Otheriwse, they are just yeast and protein hanging out.

BEST ANSWER:These are probably just yeast rafts and probably will not fall. The siphon should avoid and leave them behind so it should be fine as it ages and just keep an eye on them to see if they start to grow. Otheriwse, they are just yeast and protein hanging out.